apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

can we get some more pictures? or a drawing of the floor plan?

What exactly is the problem: not enough storage, too little counter space, ugly? From the picture, it looks like bad design. You can't use that cabinet in the corner because of the shelf blocking the door. But you couldn't really get at the cabinet anyway, because it's behind the stove.

I once covered some ugly cabinets with contact paper. Since you're a renter on a low budget, that might be a solution for you. It's definitely easier than painting.

Your budget isn't going to change bad design, so here are my ideas to work w/the design you have:

Say adios to the cabinet door in the corner that pp says you can't currently open - make it pretty inside (contact paper the inside walls a fun color or something) and put solid/simple colored items in it - infrequently used ones if possible. This way you can access it, it's an accent point, and it brings in color.

Paint and/or like pp said, contact paper the cabinet doors. Consider painting the walls - maybe a pale color (a bright could draw attention to those 80's laminate cabinets). If you paint the walls - maybe continue at least one wall of the same color into the rest of your studio to give the place some unity. (you said doorway, so maybe that's not an issue)

Be careful of what you put over the stove and in the newly opened cabinet beside the stove: if you like to cook a lot (like I do) you will find that whatever is over the stove is going to get greasy since you don't have a hood/filter. (clear glass is the worst - I kept my wine glasses there and they looked grungy in no time, gross)

I'd take whatever you're hanging on that rack over the stove and move it to the backsplash area. Punch up your backsplash first w/cool patterened contact paper - then get one of those IKEA wall hanging mount kitchen things for that rack of stuff to hang.

If you have time/money, a larger project would be to rig up some kind of shelf that held a good filter under it. You could even get a light up there....play around at Home Depot and see what they can recommend for parts and then rig them under a stylish cabinet. (Just make sure it comes out far enough to cover the front burners.)

The floor: can you get a cheap rug from somewhere like TJMaxx, Marshalls, some cheap junk shop? An indoor/outdoor type rug would be great - I saw some interesting ones at Ballard Designs and they seemed pretty reasonable, esp the smaller ones since I bet your floor area is tiny. That would cover the laminate and wouldn't be too killer to clean, or on the budget...you wouldn't freak too bad either if you spilled stuff on it - I think they were all patterened, so that would hide minor accidents some...


Let us know what you decide to do!

Not to be mean but "pretty tragic" doesn't even begin to capture it.

Given that it's a rental, and assuming your landlord has no interest in it being workable and livable (or it wouldn't be configured like that), I can only suggest that you move that (or a smaller) refrigerator to another part of your studio apartment, then shift the stove to where the fridge was, and replace it with a movable cart with work surface, storage, and utensil hangers (Ikea?) -- especially if that allows you to get into the corner base cabinet and stand at the counter above.

You might need to buy a longer gasline connector, and of course have your super or other qualified person change it.

I like the ideas that everyone has posted so far. Here's a few tips:

Contac makes Stainless Steel colored paper you can buy for about $7 a roll. Could be useful for your backsplash and/or cabinets.

Pearl River has relatively cheap bamboo rugs. Being a renter myself with the same greasy linoleum floors, I found a rug there that almost covered my entire floor for about $35. You can find them online at pearlriver.com.

If you cook a lot then I'm confident that you'll find a setup that suits your needs.

I agree with BuzzyBee - take off the front cabinet doors (except for food storage); paint it something fun and bright & use Ikea for hanging storage. The wall sink drainer is really helpful - I've survived on less space. good luck!

Wow. Some good suggestions. I'll try to post a floor plan tonight, it's really hard to get more/ other pictures because of just how tiny the space is. I'm definitely intrigued by the wall sink drainer, and I never would have *thought* to take the cabinet doors off.

Cindy, how much does the rug slip around? It sounds like a wonderful idea, but I'm a little nervous about winding up on my butt every time I turn around too fast.

Terremotia-

The bamboo rug I have from Pearl River has an anti-slip component on the back, so it doesn't slip at all. Here's a link to their floor mat page:

http://www.pearlriver.com/v2/FramesCat.asp?iGroup=326

Not all mats featured in the link have anti-slip rubber backings, so you may have to buy one separately. They're very inexpensive and readily available. I purchased a small one from Target for another rug in my apartment for just a few dollars.

Good luck!

For a kitchen this small, I would think about function as well as aesthetics. If there's a place to store it (maybe between the stove and counter?) you could look for a large cutting board to put on top of the stove for more counter space for chopping when you need it, or for temporary extra dish drying space.

I'd also recommend identifying a few key tools, the items that you use to cook with most often, and putting where you can easily reach them - such as putting a favorite pot on the shelf above the stove.

It looks like you have some interesting dishes on the shelf above the stove. I'm not sure that shelf is the right place for them, but maybe they could the source for the paint color for the walls, e.g., taking one of the underlying colors of the dishes and making it a little lighter, so that the dishes would stand out? I agree with buzzybee that a bright color would not go well with the cabinets - maybe a paler or deeper blue or green or grey would work.

Devine Paint isn't available in NY, but take a look at their "ocean tide pools" palette:

http://www.devinecolor.com/color.html

These colors aren't bright, but they're not pastel either, and they'd have a deep enough tone to work with your dishes.

Ikea used to have an over the sink drainer in the same Grundtal line as your shelf -

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ny/good-questions/good-questions-over-the-sink-drying-racks-020630

It doesn't seem to be on their website anymore, but two of the kitchens in the contest had it: #5 and #16

Having just spent quite a bit of time laboriously scraping ancient contact paper off my kitchen shelves, I'd recommend against using it for decorating.

Good luck!

More pictures or a floor plan would certainly help. I'm curious to see the rest.

Lots of good advice here. I agree that it's worth trying for a better configuration of the appliances, and also that you may end up regretting that over-the-stove storage (for one thing, it could be a fire hazard if you need to reach for something while the stove is on). You might consider doing a wall of pegboard for storage and then paint it the same color as the wall... just make sure you find the studs when you hang it.

I used to live in NYC in a studio rental with a very similar kitchen - luckily all the upper level cabinets were functional and had high ceilings, so I stored most of my stuff up top. Given that i am pretty short, i invested in a really good foldable step-ladder.

My best advice is a rolling cutting board/kitchen shelf/island type thing - the one from IKEA is less than $60, unfinished, and it provides storage, plus extra counter space, plus its portable, so when you are not in the kitchen it can live in front of the stove, then when you are, out. I used to move it to the living room so guests could help me chop!!

Now that i own my own place (with more kitchen space), i stained it to match my current cabinets and i roll it under the counter when i don't need it..

I agree with the cutting board over the sink area - multitask.

could also store stuff in the oven - just be careful!